For more than a decade, the promised bonanza from the Caspian Sea's giant Kashagan oil field has...

For more than a decade, the promised bonanza from the Caspian Sea's giant Kashagan oil field has been a $30B mirage for its developers - including XOM, E and RDS.A - and it still isn't clear when the first drop of oil is coming. Delays beyond Oct. 1 could subject the companies to new financial penalties and heighten tensions with a frustrated Kazakh government.